


Dragon

by ficdirectory



Category: Grey's Anatomy
Genre: Childhood Trauma, Gen, Medical Trauma
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-02-06
Updated: 2018-02-06
Packaged: 2020-01-04 06:25:07
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 681
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18337979
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ficdirectory/pseuds/ficdirectory
Summary: Young Stephanie copes with being in the clinical trial.





	Dragon

Dragons have the sharpest teeth.

Grownups don’t know because they don’t believe dragons are real, but Stephanie knows.  She’s felt him.

She doesn’t look ‘cause that would make him even scarier, but she can feel his pointy teeth stabbing.  Hurting.  In her legs is his favorite place to bite.  

The dragon lives at the hospital and guess what?  It’s the worst because Stephanie lives there, too, for now.  One day, she’s gonna escape out of here.  But she always can’t move very good after the dragon comes and tries to eat her all up.

There’s barely any marks on her but the biting hurts deep.  Bad.

Stephanie asks for hard shiny metal, but nurses say 5-year-olds can’t have that. Nurse Paula brings her tinfoil already ripped, like Stephanie is some baby.  Like she doesn’t know that the dragon can bite through tinfoil super easy.  It’s only one tiny piece, besides.  

Not enough to protect her.

She needs something strong like a knight.  Something good at protecting.  (Since Mom says it’s good for the dragon to bite her.  The doctors and nurses hold her down so he can.)

For next time, Stephanie starts fighting early.  Right away, when she sees everybody on the dragon’s side.  She feels hot and knows it’s ‘cause the dragon’s coming and breathing fire and smoke.

Usually, she cries, but this time, Stephanie knows.  She’s gotta fight back.  No knight stuff.  No grownups.  Just her.  But if nobody else is gonna stop the dragon from getting her, Stephanie has to try something.

She tries to wiggle away from Mom, but Mom just puts her down on the big table in the dragon’s favorite room.  

“No!  No!  Don’t let him get me!” she screams.  Stephanie tries kicking and fighting.  She screams loud  _loud_   _LOUD_ , but it doesn’t matter.  

It’s almost working.  Her arms and legs keep slipping out of the big people’s grip.

But then come the straps.  She screams even more - no words.  Because it’s like everybody got the most confused ever.  Like they think the dragon is  _her._

Don’t they know?  She’s  _in_  danger!  She’s not  _doing_  danger!

“STOP!” she yells, still trying to fight, but it’s no use.  She feels the first stabbing bite in her leg.

More and more and more and it doesn’t matter that she screams.  Cries.  Wants it to be over.

“Mama!” she sobs, desperate.

“Honey, it’s for your own good.  It’s for your own good.”

Mom’s words hurt.  Doesn’t she know Stephanie’s  _already_  good?  At naming every letter?  At reading?  Doesn’t Mom know the sneaky dragon getting inside Stephanie isn’t her fault?

He just probably wanted a place to hide.  He maybe wasn’t such a bad dragon.  Maybe he was just trying to be somewhere nobody was gonna be mean to him.

By the time it’s over, all Stephanie’s fight is over, too.  She stopped because it didn’t matter.  Started digging her nails into her hands.  That helps - and it doesn’t hurt the dragon.

She’s back inside her room.  Ignoring Mom saying “you’re so brave.”

“ _You’re_  not,” Stephanie pouts.  “You’re the worst at being brave.  You let them get me.”  She feels the tears spill down her cheeks and keeps her back turned.

“Honey, you need this.  It’s to help you.  Someday you’ll understand.”

She digs her nails into her hands more.  It hurts, but at least it doesn’t hurt the dragon.  She doesn’t wanna ever hurt the dragon.  She knows how it feels to be hurt.

When Mom leaves to get more coffee, Stephanie closes her eyes.  Imagines going inside herself.  Finding the beautiful red and purple baby dragon sleeping inside the cave of her tummy.

“It’s okay.  You can stay,” she whispers.  “I know you’re not bad.”

Baby Dragon opens his eyes.  Licks her on the face.  

Even when the doctors get all the Sickle Cell Anemia out of her, they can’t get the dragon.  It stays, like she promised, finding a safe place within her.

When it breathes fire in her belly, she uses it.  Feels armored from the inside.  Not by shiny strong metal.  

But dragon scales.

 


End file.
